Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 – February 18, 1902) was a German-born American painter who became famous for his American West landscape paintings. He was born in Solingen, Germany, but when he was around 2 years old, his family moved to the U.S., settling in Bedford Massachusetts. It was in 1853 that Bierstadt went back to Germany for his studies. While there, he enhanced his artistic skills, painting the Alpine Landscapes. His return to the U.S. in 1857 saw him land an opportunity to travel westward, seeing beautiful landscapes that captured his interest. During such travels, Bierstadt captured different landscapes in photographs and did sketches of different features that would later form part of his artistic works. He would later move back to Germany, but would make numerous visits to the U.S. while still continuing with his artistic works.
Bierstadt’s artwork pieces were exhibited in different locations, including the Brooklyn Art Association (1861-1879), Boston Athenaeum (1859-1864), and Boston Art Club (1873-1880). Between 1861 and 1879, he ran a studio in the 10th Street Studio Building in New York City. It's his landscape paintings that brought him to the limelight, having painted beautiful subjects using great detail and lighting. Bierstadt broke borders to gain international fame through his paintings that were sold at record breaking prices. His artistic influence would only reduce as a result of greater interest in impressionism. After his death, the art world seemed to have forgotten about him but he would later regain fame in the 1960s when there was greater focus to preserve U.S. national land. Having created more than 500 pieces, Bierstadt’s works are scattered across galleries and museums in the U.S., with framed Albert Bierstadt art also available in galleries and other art dealerships.